Dive Brief:
- Entrepreneurs in Mexico have created a machine that effectively converts styrofoam into a raw material used in the production of hard plastic.
- The technology behind the Rennueva recycling equipment was created by Hector Ortiz, a mechanical engineer who was the mastermind behind the method of transforming expanded polystyrene into pellets used in the formation of rigid plastics.
- Mounting waste issues spurred the project and the machine's development.
Dive Insight:
Mexico produces 60 thousand tons of styrofoam every year, underscoring the need for innovative recycling methods. Dart Mexico helped Rennueva develop the project.
The company plans to increase production and has partnered with the Center of Advanced Technology in Queretaro, Mexico in order to do so. Angel investors provided the cash while the company used its own capital to develop the equipment.
As the largest manufacturer of foam products around the globe, Dart Container has long been interested in polystyrene recycling, and has gone so far as to offer to pick up the tab for styrofoam recycling in New York City. However, that proposal was rejected.